Bll 07 legends, myths and folktales

Legends, Myths, and FolktalesCelebrate the stories that have moved

the world for centuries

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To help you on your journey, we’ve provided the following guideposts inLegends, Myths, and Folktales:■ Subject Tabs—The colored box in the upper corner of each right-hand

page will quickly tell you the article subject.

■ Search Lights—Try these mini-quizzes before and after you read the

article and see how much—and how quickly—you can learn. You can even

make this a game with a reading partner. (Answers are upside down at the

bottom of one of the pages.)

■ Did You Know?—Check out these fun facts about the article subject.

With these surprising “factoids,” you can entertain your friends, impress

your teachers, and amaze your parents.

■ Picture Captions—Read the captions that go with the photos. They

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■ Vocabulary—New or difficult words are in bold type. You’ll find

them explained in the Glossary at the end of the book.

■ Learn More!—Follow these pointers to related articles in the book. These

articles are listed in the Table of Contents and appear on the Subject Tabs.

In Legends,Myths, andFolktales, you’ll

discover answers to these

questions and many more.

Through pictures, articles,

stories, and fun facts,

you’ll learn about the

exciting, magical tales

that have entertained us

for centuries, taught us

right from wrong, and

explained the many

mysteries of the world.

I N T R O D U C T I O N

What was Excalibur?Who stabbed a one-eyed man-eating giant? Where do Jataka tales come from?

Was the “Trojan horse” really a horse?


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Legends, Myths, and Folktales

© 2008 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Legends, Myths, and FolktalesTABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

MYTHS AND LEGENDS, FOLKTALES AND

FABLES: Stories of Wonders

and Everyday Life. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Atlas: The Bearer of the World . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Dragons: Beasts of Fire and Mist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

An Asian Folktale: Who Will Marry Mousie? . . . . . . 12

Aesop’s Fables: Animal Stories That Teach . . . . . . . 14

EUROPE

A European Folktale:

The Country Mouse and the Town Mouse . . . . . . . 16

A Jewish Legend: The Golem of Prague . . . . . . . . . . 18

A British Legend:

King Arthur’s Knights of the Round Table . . . . . . 20

A Greek Legend: Odysseus and the Cyclops . . . . . . . 22

A Story from Ancient Greece: The Trojan Horse . . . . 24

Thor: The Thunder God . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

A Russian Folktale: The Bear and the Old Man . . . . 28

ASIA

A Chinese Cinderella Story: Yeh-Shen. . . . . . . . . . . . 30

A Story from Japan: The Stonecutter . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

A Korean Folktale: The Tiger in the Trap. . . . . . . . . 34

A South Asian Tale:

The Monkey and the String of Pearls . . . . . . . . . . 36

From the Kalilah wa Dimnah:

The Poor Man and the Flask of Oil . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

A Cambodian Myth:

Moni Mekhala and Ream Eyso . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

AUSTRALIA

An Australian Tale: How Kangaroo Got His Tail . . . . 42

AFRICA

A Story from Ghana: Ananse and the Wisdom Pot. . . 44

A Nigerian Folktale: The Monkey Court . . . . . . . . . . 46

A Zulu Story: Jackal Gets Away . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48

THE AMERICAS

A Mayan Story: Rabbit Throws Away His Sandal . . . 50

Paul Bunyan: The Tale of a Lumberjack. . . . . . . . . . 52

An Inuit Tale:

How Crow Brought Daylight to the World. . . . . . . . 54

A Native American Legend: Coyote Brings Fire . . . . . 56

A Cherokee Story: Why Possum’s Tail Is Bare . . . . . 58

A Fable of the Pacific Northwest:

Raven and Crow’s Potlatch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60

GLOSSARY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62

INDEX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63


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6

Stories of Wonders

and Everyday Life

�

Which ofthe following

is a storyabout ordinarypeople doing

unusual things?a) mythb) fablec) folktale

SEARCH LIGHT


Answer:c) folktale ★ 7

In very ancient times, people needed help to explain the mysteriesof life. They didn’t have scientists or other experts to tell them whydifferent things happened. So the way they grew to understand thesemysteries was through stories called “myths.”

Today when we call something a myth, we usually mean that it isn’ttrue. But that’s often because we don’t believe the very old stories. Peopleused to believe in myths very strongly.

Some of the most familiar European myths come from ancient Greece.The gods and goddesses of Greek religion all had stories about them thatexplained just why things were the way they were.

World religions today have their own mythologies. Hinduism, forexample, is filled with wondrous tales of gods and heroes, such as theelephant-headed god Ganesha, who represents good luck. One Bible story

tells how Moses led the original Jews out of slavery in Egypt. And thefamous stories of Jesus stand as examples to Christians of a perfect life.

Myths are closely related to several other kinds of stories that teachus lessons. These include folktales, legends, fables, and fairy tales.

Folktales are very much like myths, though they are usuallyabout ordinary characters in unusual situations.

Legends resemble folktales and myths, but they’re usuallylinked to a particular place or person, real or imaginary.

Fables teach lessons by telling stories with animal characters.Fairy tales sometimes carry a message about right and

wrong. But often they’re simply exciting, magical stories.

LEARN MORE! READ THESE ARTICLES…A GREEK LEGEND: ODYSSEUS AND THE CYCLOPS

A JEWISH LEGEND: THE GOLEM OF PRAGUE

A NIGERIAN FOLKTALE: THE MONKEY COURT

DID YOU KNOW?

Your school probably has its own

legend. Most likely it’s about a

former student or teacher known for

his or her unusual or amazing

behavior. Check with your classroom

teacher to see if he or she knows

about a school legend.

M Y T H S A N D L E G E N D S , F O L K T A L E S A N D F A B L E S


8


DID YOU KNOW?

Atlas is also the name of a range of

mountains in northwestern Africa. In

one story, Atlas was the king of that

area. But he was a bad host to the

Greek hero Perseus. Perseus

punished Atlas by showing him the

head of the evil monster Medusa.

Looking at the head of Medusa

turned men to stone.

Answer: Atlasagreed to get three golden apples for HerculesifHerculeswould hold the heavens and Earth on his shoulders for awhile.

★ 9

Long, long ago Zeus, the king of the ancient Greekgods, was very angry with Atlas, one of the Titans(children of Heaven and Earth). He was angry because Atlashad tried to fight with him. So Zeus ordered Atlas to standforever holding all the heavens and Earth on his shoulders!

Atlas wanted to get rid of his tiresome job. He almostmanaged to do it when the Greek hero Hercules came toask for his help. Hercules was supposed to get three goldenapples that were guarded by a dragon in a garden. Atlasagreed to get the apples if Hercules would hold theheavens and Earth on his shoulders while he was gone.

When Atlas returned, he told Hercules to keep thejob. Hercules agreed. But he asked Atlas to hold theworld for just a minute while he got a shoulder pad forhimself. As soon as Atlas lifted the world to his shoulders, Hercules pickedup the golden apples and ran away. Some stories say that thunder is Atlasshouting after Hercules to come back. Most pictures of Atlas show himcarrying the world.

This is an ancient Greek story. But today when we want to learn aboutthe world, we look into a book called an “atlas.” We can see the shapes ofcountries, see which river flows in which country, and see which continentis where.


MYTHS AND LEGENDS, FOLKTALES AND FABLES

THOR: THE THUNDER GOD

The Bearerof theWorld

�

Find andcorrect the

errors in thefollowingsentence:

Hercules agreedto get three goldenapples for Atlas ifAtlas would hold

the heavens and Earthon his shoulders

for a while.

SEARCH LIGHT

A T L A S


10

�

Which ofthe following

does the articlenot say dragons

breathed?a) iceb) firec) mist

SEARCH LIGHT

DID YOU KNOW?

There are some real dragons alive

today. They’re the giant Komodo

dragons, 10-foot-long lizards that live

in Indonesia.


Answer: a) ice ★ 11

According to a popular story,there once lived a terrible dragon in a

city where many people lived. It hadhuge wings like a bat. The flapping of

its wings could be heard for miles. Itcould kill an ox with a single blow. Itseyes flashed. And it breathed fire.

Every year, the people of the city had to offer it a girl to eat, or it wouldkill everyone. One year it was the turn of Princess Sabra to face the dragon.George, the youngest and the bravest of the champions who protected theChristian church, came forward to save her. He wounded the dragon with hismagic sword, Ascalon. The princess threw her sash around the dragon’s neck

and pulled the beast to the marketplace, whereGeorge killed it with a single blow. George

later became the patron saint of England.People used to believe in all kinds

of dragons. The beasts roamed the land,swishing their great scaly tails. They

flashed fiery glances from their enormouseyes. They blew rings of poisonous smoke and breathed outflames of fire without ever burning their tongues!

In China and otherAsian countries, on the other hand,the dragon, or long, is considered good, lucky, and apowerful protector of human beings. The Chinese emperorsadopted the dragon as their symbol. Dragons are linked with

water, and they breathe out mist and clouds instead of smokeand fire.You can see immense colorful paper dragons being

carried during Chinese NewYear and other celebrations.Maybe stories of dragons started because people found dinosaur

bones and didn’t know what they were. The bones would have looked likethey came from a monster.

LEARN MORE! READ THESE ARTICLES…ATLAS: THE BEARER OF THE WORLD

A KOREAN FOLKTALE: THE TIGER IN THE TRAP


Beasts ofFire and Mist

D R A G O N S


12

There was once a charming girl mouse who kneweverything a young mouse should know. She could gnawholes, climb high shelves, squeeze into small spaces.

Her father felt a smart young mouse would makea fine husband for his daughter. But the mother hadother ideas. “My daughter is finer than anybody inthe world. She will not marry a mouse!”

So the three of them took a journey to the Sun’s palace.“Great Sun,” the mother said, “Our daughter is so special we want her

to marry someone who is greater than all others.”“I am honored,” answered the Sun. “But there is someone greater than

I.” As he spoke, a cloud spread itself over the Sun’s face.“I am not really good enough for your daughter,”

replied the cloud. “There is someone more powerful than I.”As he spoke, the wind swept the cloud

across the sky. Now the motherasked the wind to marry her

daughter.But the wind said,

“The wall is greater than Iam. He has the power tostop me.”

Who Will Marry Mousie?

�

The fathermouse wantedhis daughter

to marrya) the Sun.b) a mouse.c) the wind.

SEARCH LIGHT


Answer: b) a mouse. ★ 13

But the wall said, “I should not be the husband of such a delightfulyoung girl. It’s true that I can stop the wind, which can toss the clouds,which can cover the Sun. But there is someone even greater.”

“Who?” asked the mother.“A mouse,” said the wall. “A mouse can pass through me or under me.

If you want a son-in-law who is the greatest in all the world, find a mouse.”So the three mice went home happily, and the daughter married a mouse.

LEARN MORE! READ THESE ARTICLES…A EUROPEAN FOLKTALE: THE COUNTRY MOUSE AND THE TOWN MOUSE

A STORY FROM JAPAN: THE STONECUTTER

DID YOU KNOW?

There have been many famous

mice in children’s stories,

including Mickey and Minnie

Mouse, Mighty Mouse, Speedy

Gonzales, Pinky and the Brain,

Motor Mouse, Danger Mouse,

Minute Mouse, and Biker Mice

from Mars.

A N A S I A N F O L K T A L E


14

Aesop’s fables are animal stories that were told inGreece almost 2,500 years ago. These are stories aboutanimals or birds that speak and act like people. Each of these stories tellsus a useful truth about everyday life. These truths are called “morals.”

One of Aesop’s fables is about a greedy dog:A dog had a piece of meat in his mouth and was carrying it home. On

the way the dog looked into a pond and saw his own reflection. It lookedlike another dog with a second piece of meat. “Why should he eat suchgood meat?” thought the dog. “I want that piece too.”

The dog opened his mouth to grab the other piece of meat, and hispiece dropped into the water and disappeared. When the greedy dog sawthe meat disappear, he put his tail between his legs and slunk away.

The moral of this fable is “Be careful,or you may lose what you have by grabbingfor what isn’t there.”

Here is another fable,about a fox:

Animal StoriesThat Teach

�

True orFalse?

The dog losthis meat becausehe was hungry.

SEARCH LIGHT


Answer: FALSE. He lost his meat because he was greedy. ★ 15

Strolling through thewoods one day, a fox saw ajuicy bunch of grapes

hanging from a high vine.“Just the thing for a thirsty fox,”

he said to himself.The fox jumped as high as he

could, but he could not reach thegrapes. He tried again andagain. Each time he justmissed the tasty-looking fruit.“Oh, well,” he thought.“Those grapes are probablysour anyway.” And he wentaway without the grapes.

The term “sour grapes”comes from Aesop’s fableabout the fox. It refers to theattitude some people showwhen they sneer at somethingthat they can’t have.

LEARN MORE! READ THESE ARTICLES…AN AUSTRALIAN TALE: HOW KANGAROO GOT HIS TAIL

A NATIVE AMERICAN LEGEND: COYOTE BRINGS FIRE

A ZULU STORY: JACKAL GETS AWAY

DID YOU KNOW?The next time someone sayssomething is “fabulous,” you can tellthe person that that word comes fromthe word “fable.” It means “amazing”or “larger-than-life”—or even“imaginary,” like a fable.

A E S O P ’ S F A B L E S


16

Once a small gray mouse lived in the country. He had to find food tostore for winter, but once he felt he had stored enough, he thought, “I’llask my cousin from town to visit. He might enjoy a vacation.”

At dinner the town mouse asked, “Is this all you have to eat, a fewacorns?”

The country mouse nodded humbly.The next morning the town mouse woke up shivering. “I was so cold

I nearly froze. Come and visit me in town. We’ll wine and dine, and Ihave a nice cozy mouse hole where we can sleep.”

The two set off. It was late when they arrived at the great house. Therehad been a banquet that day, and the table was still full with goodthings to eat.

“Sit down,” invited the town mouse. “I will bring youdelicious food.”

Then somebody opened the door, and in dashed three bigdogs, growling and sniffing, and the owners of the house entered.

Two voices shouted, “Who has been at this table?”The mice ran all around the room until they found a small hole in a

wall where they could hide. Hours later, when the dogs and peoplefinally left the room, the country mouse came out cautiously.

“Thank you for your hospitality, but I like my acorns and mycold winter winds far better than all your grand food and warmhouse. At home I can sleep in peace and comfort. Here there’salways fear to take your appetite away!”

LEARN MORE! READ THESE ARTICLES…AN ASIAN FOLKTALE: WHO WILL MARRY MOUSIE?

A KOREAN FOLKTALE: THE TIGER IN THE TRAP


The Country Mouse

and the Town Mouse

Real field micemight actuallymove into a

person’s houseto spend the

winter and thenmove back

outdoors whenthe warm

weather returns.

DID YOUKNOW?


Answer: The town mouse had more food to choose from, but thecountry mouse didn’t have a chance to eat much of it.

★ 17

�

Did thecountry mouseget more to eat

at his house or atthe town mouse’s

house?

SEARCH LIGHT

A E U R O P E A N F O L K T A L E


18

Many hundreds of years ago, there lived many Jewish families in thecity of Prague. Although they worked hard, many people in Prague didn’tlike them. Sometimes Jewish businesses were looted. Sometimes theirhomes were burned. And sometimes they were killed.

In that time there was a wise rabbi, a great teacher, living in Prague.His name was Rabbi Loew. He knew a way to help his people. He wouldbuild a man of clay. He would make the Golem.

Rabbi Loew shaped clay into the form of a man’s body. And when hewas done, he walked around the clay man seven times, chanting, “Shanti,Shanti, Dahat, Dahat.” The Golem then opened his eyes and sat up.

“Golem,” said Rabbi Loew. “I’ve made you so you can help and protectmy people.” The Golem nodded.

“Every day I’ll tell you what to do,” continued Rabbi Loew.At first the Golem was a great gift to the Jewish families of Prague. He

helped them in their work and protected them. But the Golem wantedmore. So Rabbi Loew taught him to read. But reading about people madehim want even more. He wanted to be human.

Rabbi Loew couldn’t make the Golem human. The Golem becameangry and began to attack the people he had earlier helped. He became a

monster.Rabbi Loew had no choice but to chase the Golem from

Prague. No one knows what happened to the Golem. And noone knows where he is today.

LEARN MORE! READ THESE ARTICLES…DRAGONS: BEASTS OF FIRE AND MIST

A RUSSIAN FOLKTALE: THE BEAR AND THE OLD MAN

The Golemof Prague

DID YOU KNOW?

Modern-day horror films have used

the idea of man-made monsters. One

famous one is the American monster

movie Frankenstein.


Answer: b) clay man. ★ 19

�

The golemwas a

a) clay beast.b) clay man.c) clay toy.

SEARCH LIGHT

A J E W I S H L E G E N D


20

King Arthur’s

Knights of the Round Table


Answer: The name of Arthur’s famous sword was Excalibur.(Lancelot was a famous Knight of the Round Table.)

★ 21

It is said that long ago the British people needed a king. One day,the legend goes, there appeared a rock with a sword caught in it.

A sign said, “Whoever Can Pull This Sword from This RockWill Be Rightful King of the Britons.”

The strongest men in the kingdom tried to pull the sword out ofthe rock. It would not move. Then along came a young boy namedArthur. He had not heard about the sword in the rock. Thinkinghe would borrow the sword for his stepbrother, who was off towar, Arthur stepped up to the rock. He pulled. The sword slidout easily.

Merlin the magician had placed the sword in the rock. Hehad kept it there by magic. Only Arthur could remove it. The sword wascalled Excalibur. Merlin had been Arthur’s teacher. He knew that Arthurwould be the best king for Britain.

As king, Arthur needed people to help him rule wisely. He decided hewould ask the strongest and bravest men to help him. He sent messengers

to look for these strong and brave men.Many men came to help Arthur. He asked them to

promise to be fair, to keep their word, and to protectthe weak. They became Arthur’s Knights of the RoundTable. Lancelot would become the greatest of all theKnights of the Round Table. But Arthur made the table

round for a reason. It meant that everyone seated wasequal there, and no one could sit at the “head” of the table.

King Arthur’s legend also says that if Britain is ever indanger, he will come back and save the people once again.



A B R I T I S H L E G E N D

DID YOU KNOW?Although the Arthur story is a legend,there might really have been a 6th-century military leader who led theBritish against invaders.

�

Find andcorrect theerror in the

following sentence:The name of

Arthur’s famous swordwas Lancelot.

SEARCH LIGHT


22

�

How manyeyes does theCyclops have?a) a gazillion

b) tenc) one

SEARCH LIGHT

DID YOU KNOW?

Some scientists think the legend of

Cyclops might have developed when

people found elephant bones and

didn’t know what they were. The

elephant skull has a large hole that

looks like a single eye socket.


Answer: c) one ★ 23

Long ago, the Greek king Odysseus was sailing home from war with hismen. Along the way, they stopped at an island where one-eyed man-eatinggiants called Cyclopes lived.

Odysseus and his men wandered into a cave belonging to the CyclopsPolyphemus. At twilight Polyphemus returned with his flocks of sheep.When all the sheep were inside, he picked up a huge stone and closed themouth of the cave. Odysseus and his men were trapped!

Polyphemus ate up two of Odysseus’ men and fell fast asleep. In themorning he ate two more men and, after blocking the mouth of the cave, wentoff with his sheep. The stone was too heavy for the men to move. Odysseus,however, thought of a plan. He sharpened a branch of an olive tree.

When Polyphemus came home that night, Odysseus offered him wine.The Cyclops drank it and asked Odysseus what his name was.

Odysseus answered, “People call me Nobody.”“Your gift, Nobody, is that I shall eat you last,” said Polyphemus. And,

drunk with wine, he fell fast asleep.Odysseus then took the great sharp branch and drove it into the

sleeping giant’s eye, blinding him. When Polyphemus cried out for help,the other Cyclopes shouted, “Who is hurting you?”

“Nobody,” screamed Polyphemus.“Well, then you don’t need any help from us,” said the other giants.Meanwhile, Odysseus and his men each lashed together three sheep.

Under the middle sheep, a man clung to the fleece. Finally everybodywas hidden.

Polyphemus did not think of feeling under the bellies of the sheep. Andso the men escaped to their ship and continued their long journey home.


PAUL BUNYAN: THE TALE OF A LUMBERJACK

A G R E E K L E G E N D

Odysseusand the Cyclops


The Trojan Horse

�

Find andcorrect theerror in the

following sentence:The Greeks built a

large woolen horse totrick the Trojans.

SEARCH LIGHT


Answer: The Greeks built a large woodenhorse to trick theTrojans.

★ 25

A S T O R Y F R O M A N C I E N T G R E E C E

More than 3,000 years ago, the Greeks and the Trojans fought a longand terrible war. For about ten years, the Greek army camped outside thecity of Troy. The strong wall around the city didn’t allow them to get in.

There were many battles during those years. The Greek soldiers tried toknock down the wall. They couldn’t. They tried to climb over it, but theTrojans always pushed them off. Then the Greeks thought of a trick. Theystarted building a very big horse made of wood.

Watching this, the Trojans were puzzled. They were more puzzled onemorning when they saw that the Greek army had gone away. Only thestrange wooden horse was standing outside their gate.

The Trojans went out to look at it. They liked the beautiful woodenhorse, so they pulled it inside the walls. They thought the war was over,since the Greeks had left. They put away their swords and spears. Theysang and danced around the horse.

Finally, the Trojans went to sleep. Then the Greeks played their trick.Greek soldiers had hidden inside the hollow wooden horse. That night theGreek soldiers climbed out of the wooden horse and opened the gates ofTroy to all the other soldiers from the warships.

The Greeks caught the Trojans completely by surprise and captured thecity of Troy. Even today, we often call a tricky inside attack a “Trojan horse.”


A SOUTH ASIAN TALE: THE MONKEY AND THE STRING OF PEARLS

DID YOU KNOW?

From this story we get the expression

“Beware of Greeks bearing gifts.”

You can probably guess why.


26


Answer: Thursday (Thor’s day) is named for the god. ★ 27

Long ago, in Europe’s northern lands of ice andsnow, most people believed that Thor was king of allthe gods. Thor was the mighty god of thunder and thesky. He was the eldest son of Odin. Thursday, the fifthday of the week, is named after him (Thor’s day).

Thor had a red beard and was very tall and strong.He had a magic belt that made him doubly strongwhenever he wore it. He used his strength to protectpeople from giants and evil fairies.

His hammer, called Mjollnir, was his mainweapon and produced lightning bolts. Thor had towear special iron gloves to hold it. It would alwaysreturn to him after killing the person it was thrown at. It could split amountain in half or kill all the frost giants in one blow.

Thor traveled in a chariot that was drawn by two goats. One of themwas called Tooth-Gnasher, and the other was Tooth-Grinder. The chariot

produced thunder whenever it moved across the sky. Andglowing sparks flew from its wheels.

Soldiers worshiped Thor because of his strength.Peasants and farmers worshiped him because he made therain for their crops.


A CAMBODIAN MYTH: MONI MEKHALA AND REAM EYSO

T H O R

The Thunder God

�

Which dayof the weekis named for

Thor?

SEARCH LIGHT

Thor’s qualitiesmay sound likesome fictionalsuperheroes

you’ve heard ofbefore. In fact,

Thor himself hasappeared as a

comic booksuperhero.

DID YOUKNOW?


There was a time when bears and people got along well together. Oneday an old man was out planting turnips in a field near his house. As hewas working, a bear came out of the woods.

“What are you doing in my field, Old Man?” asked the bear.“I’m planting turnips,” he replied. “Do you mind if I use your field,

Bear?”“No,” said the bear. “Just share the turnips with me when you are done.”When it came time to harvest the turnips, the bear asked, “Where’s my

share, Old Man?”“I’ve decided to split them with you, half and half,” said the old man.

“You can have the tops, Bear, and I’ll keep the roots.”This sounded fair, but when the bear ate the green turnip tops, he found

them bitter. He realized he’d been tricked, for turnip roots were sweet.

The Bear and the Old Man

�Find and

correct theerror in the

following sentence:The bear didn’t liketurnip tops because

they tasted sour.

SEARCH LIGHT


Answer: The bear didn’t like turnip tops because they tastedbitter.

★ 29

The next year, the old man was again in the field.“Old Man,” he said, “you tricked me last year. I want my fair share this

year, and this time I want the roots.”“Okay, Bear,” said the old man. “This year I’m planting rye. When it’s

grown, you shall have the roots and I’ll take the tops.”The bear was pleased with himself, thinking he had made a good deal.

But rye is a grain, and the food is at the top of its stems. When he tried eatingthe rye roots, he discovered that they had no taste. He realized that he beentricked once again. And ever since, bears and people have not gotten along.

LEARN MORE! READ THESE ARTICLES…A KOREAN FOLKTALE: THE TIGER IN THE TRAP


A R U S S I A N F O L K T A L E

DID YOU KNOW?Many people enjoy eating cookedturnip tops, also called “turnipgreens.” They become less bitter butstill taste interesting.


30

Once there lived a man with a beautiful daughternamed Yeh-Shen. Alas, before the girl grew up, herfather died. So Yeh-Shen was raised by her stepmother.

Now the stepmother already had a daughter of herown. So the stepmother gave Yeh-Shen all the hardestjobs. Yeh-Shen had no friends other than a goldenfish, a carp. Yeh-Shen always shared what she hadwith her friend the carp.

One day the stepmother discovered Yeh-Shen’ssecret friend. She caught the fish and cooked it for breakfast. As Yeh-Shengathered up the bones of the fish, the skeleton told her that it could grantwishes.

Yeh-Shen was eager to go to the Spring Festival. But Yeh-Shen’sstepmother refused to let her go. She was afraid that pretty Yeh-Shenwould get all the attention and her own daughter none. So Yeh-Shen askedthe bones for help. As soon as she said the words, she was dressed in agown of peacock feathers. On her feet were beautiful gold slippers.

At the festival Yeh-Shen danced and danced and had a wonderful time.But when she saw her stepmother approaching, she was frightened and ran

away, leaving behind one golden slipper.The next morning everyone was

talking about the beautifulstranger.

Yeh-Shen �

Fill inthe blanks:Instead of a

fairy godmother,such as Cinderella

had, Yeh-Shen had a_______ _______

to help her.

SEARCH LIGHT

DID YOU KNOW?

A 9th-century AD Chinese version of

this classic story is one of the

earliest known. There are about 300

different variations of the Cinderella

story.


Answer: Instead of a fairy godmother, such as Cinderella had,Yeh-Shen had a magicskeleton[or fishskeleton] to help her.

★ 31

The magistrate announced that his son intended to marry the womanwhose foot fit the slipper. But though many tried it on, no one’s foot fit.

When the magistrate saw Yeh-Shen, he asked her to try the slipper on.The slipper fit perfectly. Yeh-Shen and the magistrate’s son were married

and lived happily together all their days.

A C H I N E S E C I N D E R E L L A S T O R Y


A STORY FROM JAPAN: THE STONECUTTER


32

There was once a poor stonecutter who went daily to the mountain nearhis house and cut stone to use in building houses. One morning he saw apalace being built and immediately realized how humble his life was.

“Oh, if only I could have that palace, then I would truly be happy.”And suddenly it was true. Unknown to the stonecutter, the spirit of the

mountain had granted his wish. The stonecutter was happy, but soon herealized that even princes get hot in the Sun.

“Oh, if only I could be like the Sun, then I would truly behappy.” And suddenly it was true.

The stonecutter was again very happy. But one day acloud drifted in front of him and blocked all his gloriousrays.

“Oh, if only I could be like this cloud, then I wouldtruly be happy.” And suddenly it was true.

But he grew tired of being a cloud, for every daythe wind blew him around.

The Stonecutter


Answer: stonecutter, prince, Sun, cloud, wind, mountain,stonecutter

★ 33

“Oh, if only I could be like the wind, then I would truly behappy.” And suddenly it was true.

One day he ran into the mountain, which wouldn’t move nomatter how hard he blew.

“Oh, if only I could be like the mountain, then I would truly behappy.” And suddenly it was true.

But a tiny itch bothered him. When he looked down, he saw astonecutter chipping away pieces of stone.

Then he knew where happiness lay. “Oh, if only I could be astonecutter, then I would be content for the rest of my life.” Andsuddenly it was true.

And he was finally truly happy.


A STORY FROM GHANA: ANANSE AND THE WISDOM POT

A S T O R Y F R O M J A P A N

�

Put thesein the orderthey occur in

the story:mountain, Sun,prince, cloud,stonecutter,

stonecutter, wind

SEARCH LIGHT

DID YOU KNOW?

Stonecutters may have lived simple

lives, but they have contributed to

some very grand structures. For

example, stonecutters played a major

role in building the Great Pyramids

of Egypt.


34

�

Why didthe tiger

want to eatthe man?

SEARCH LIGHT


Once there was a traveler just getting ready to stop for the night when heheard a low moaning. He found a tiger caught in a deep pit.

The tiger saw the man and begged, “Please free me from this trap, andI will be grateful to you for the rest of your life.”

The traveler agreed and lowered a large branch into the pit for the tigerto climb. As soon as the tiger was free, he fell upon the man.

“Wait!” said the traveler. “I thought you were going to be gratefulto me.”

“It was men who trapped me,” answered the tiger. “So a man shouldsuffer for it.”

Just then a hare hopped by and asked what was happening. Thetiger told it and then asked if the hare agreed with him.

“First I have to see the pit. Where were you?” the hare askedthe tiger.“Down here,” the tiger replied and jumped into the pit.

“Was the branch there too?” asked the hare.“No,” said the tiger. And so the hare took the branch away.

Then the hare turned to the traveler and told him tobe on his way.

The tiger cried out in dismay as the man walkedoff down the trail. “How could you betray me?”

“I judge each according to his own and not by hisfellows,” answered the hare. “You have the fate you

deserve, and so does the man.”

LEARN MORE! READ THESE ARTICLES…A CHINESE CINDERELLA STORY: YEH-SHEN


Answer: It was men who had trapped the tiger, so the tigerthought this man should pay for it.

★ 35

A K O R E A N F O L K T A L E

The Tigerin the Trap

Despite themany stories,tigers seldomeat people.

Usually, a tigerwill attack a

person only if itis sick or is

unable to huntfor its natural

prey.

DID YOUKNOW?


One of the most popular kindsof stories in South Asia are calledJataka tales. They tell about the

past lives of the Buddha, in bothhuman and animal form. Similar

South Asian tales occur in Hindu andother non-Buddhist literature. All these

stories aim to teach a lesson, as doesthis one.

The king and the queen decidedto have a swim one beautiful day. The

queen did not want to lose her jewelry,so she took off her pearls and gave them

to a handmaid. The handmaid soon grewtired in the warm sun and fell asleep.

A monkey had been watching and quickly randown the tree, snatched the necklace, and raced back up

into the branches. The monkey thought she looked regal inthe pearls. “Aren’t I beautiful?” she said to herself.When the maid woke up, she noticed that the pearls were

missing. “The queen’s necklace has been stolen!” she cried.But no matter how hard the king’s guards looked,

they couldn’t find the thief. The captain of the guardswas puzzled. He decided to put out glass necklaces in

hopes of catching his thief.

The Monkeyand the

String of Pearls�

Fill inthe blank:

The first monkeystole the pearls

so she could look_______.

SEARCH LIGHT


When the other monkeyssaw the many glass necklaceslying on the ground, theyquickly snatched them up andchattered happily to themselves,“Oh, don’t we look stunning?”

All except the first monkey. Shereached into her hiding place for thestring of pearls and put it on. “Yournecklaces are just glass,” she teased, “butmine is made of pearls.”

This was what the captain of the guards hadbeen waiting for, and he and his men sprang fromtheir hiding places and caught the monkey. Theyreturned the string of pearls to their queen and letthe rest of the monkeys keep the glass necklaces.

LEARN MORE! READ THESE ARTICLES…FROM THE KALILAH WA DIMNAH: THE POOR MAN AND THE FLASK OF OIL


Answer: The first monkey stole the pearls so she could look regal. ★ 37

A S O U T H A S I A N T A L E

DID YOU KNOW?Some animals really do like jewelry.Birds such as magpies often stealand collect shiny things like tinfoil orsilver chain.


About the 8th century, the writer Ibn al-Muqaffa made a famous Arabictranslation of the South Asian stories known as tales of Bidpai. Thetranslation was called the Kalilah wa Dimnah (after the two jackals in the

book’s first story, Kalilah andDimnah). It provided a treasureof tales and parables thatwould appear throughoutIslamic literature. This is oneof those well-known tales.

A poor man lived next to arich man who sold oil for aliving. The poor man enviedhis neighbor’s wealth andriches and often talked aboutthem. So the rich man gavethe poor man a flask of oil asa gift.

The poor man wasdelighted. “I could sell the

oil,” thought the poorman. “Then I would haveenough money to buyfive goats.”

Later he thought somemore. “With five goats,”

he said to himself, “aman would be rich

enough to have a wife.” Heliked this thought so much he added to it.

“Of course, my wife would be beautiful and giveme a fine son.”

But then the poor man had a thought that worried him. “What if myson is lazy because his father is a wealthy man? What if he refuses to obeyme and disgraces me?”

This thought made the poor man so angry that he began stompingaround his hut, swinging his staff. “Why, if my son refuses to obeyme, then I’ll teach him a lesson. I’ll beat him with my staff.”

38

The Poor Manand the Flask of Oil


As the staff swung about, it nudged the flask of oil off itsshelf. The flask crashed to the ground and broke, spilling itscontents on the dirt. The man looked at the shards of theflask, realizing that his dreams were now

just as broken. And once morehe was just a poor

man living next to awealthy neighbor.

LEARN MORE! READ THESE ARTICLES…A EUROPEAN FOLKTALE:

THE COUNTRY MOUSE AND THE

TOWN MOUSE

A SOUTH ASIAN TALE:THE MONKEY AND THE STRING

OF PEARLS

Answer: Oil has long been used as a fuel for lamps and was veryvaluable when there wasn’t yet any electricity.

★ 39

F R O M T H E K A L I L A H W A D I M N A H

�

Why, inthe olden days,would a man

who sold oil bewealthy?

SEARCH LIGHT

DID YOU KNOW?

Oil merchants are still quite wealthy

even today. Of course, now they sell

the kind of oil used to make

gasoline.


A t one time both the goddess Moni Mekhala and the giant Ream Eysowere studying with the same teacher. This teacher was very wise.

After a few years of teaching the two, the wise teacherdecided to hold a contest for her students.

She asked both of them to bring her afull glass of dew the next morning.

Whoever brought her a glass fullof dew first would win a prize, amagic ball.

Both got up very early andwent to gather their glasses of

dew.Ream Eyso was quite pleased

with himself. “Surely my idea ofpouring the dew off of leaves is

brilliant,” he said.Moni Mekhala had actually started the night before by

laying a scarf on the grass. “This worked beautifully,” she saidas she wrung the scarf out into a cup.

The goddess won the magic ball, and thegiant was given a magic ax as a second-placeprize. Ream Eyso was jealous of MoniMekhala. So he took his ax and threw it at the

goddess. It made a terrible rumble as it flewthrough the air.

Moni Mekhala heard the noise and drewforth her magic ball. She caused the ball to

strike the giant with great jagged sparks of fire.The fire made him so hot that he dripped large dropsof sweat all over the ground.

Even today you can hear the rumble and see thesparks as Ream Eyso’s sweat falls to the ground.

LEARN MORE! READ THESE ARTICLES…MYTHS AND LEGENDS, FOLKTALES AND FABLES

THOR: THE THUNDER GOD

40

�

What naturaloccurrence

does this storyexplain?

SEARCH LIGHT

Moni Mekhalaand Ream Eyso


Answer: This story explains the source of thunder, lightning, andrain.

★ 41

A C A M B O D I A N M Y T H

DID YOU KNOW?

In North American Indian mythology,

a spirit called the Thunderbird

watered the Earth. Lightning was

believed to flash from its beak, and

rolling thunder came from the

beating of its wings.


42

How Kangaroo

Got His Tail�

Match upthe animalswith their

descriptions.Kangaroo Wombat

sleeps outsidesleeps in a hole

flat headlong tail

SEARCH LIGHT


Long ago,before kangaroos had long tails

and before wombats had flat heads,the animals played and lived together.

Kangaroo and Wombat were great friends andspent every day together. But at night each one liked

to sleep a different way. Wombat liked to sleep indoors,warm and snug. Kangaroo liked to sleep outdoors beneath the

stars. Each thought his way of sleeping was the best.Then one night a terrible storm cracked open the sky, and harsh winds

and rain scoured the land. Kangaroo was outside and was miserable in thecold, wet night. He knocked on Wombat’s house and called to Wombat tolet him come in and warm up. But Wombat thought of how much roomKangaroo would take up, so he refused to let him in.

Kangaroo was very angry about being locked out in the storm. Hepicked up a big rock and dropped it through the roof of Wombat’s house.

“There,” Kangaroo shouted. “Now your house will be damp all the time.”The rock landed on Wombat’s head and flattened his brow. Wombat

grabbed a spear and threw it as hard as he could at Kangaroo. The spearlanded right on Kangaroo’s back end.

No matter how hard Kangaroo pulled, the spear wouldn’t come out,and his tail just stretched longer and longer.

Since that day, Kangaroo and Wombat have not been friends. Kangaroostill has a big tail and sleeps outside. And Wombat still has a flat head andsleeps in a hole.

LEARN MORE! READ THESE ARTICLES…A CHEROKEE STORY: WHY POSSUM’S TAIL IS BARE

A RUSSIAN FOLKTALE: THE BEAR AND THE OLD MAN

Answer: Kangaroo—sleeps outside, long tail; Wombat—sleeps ina hole, flat head

★ 43

A N A U S T R A L I A N T A L E

DID YOU KNOW?Not all kangaroos sleep on the ground.Tree kangaroos sleep and spend muchtime in trees rather than on theground. And when they are on theground, they walk rather than hop.


44

�

Who isNtikume?

SEARCH LIGHT

DID YOU KNOW?

The West African character Ananse

(or Anansi) also appears in Jamaican

tales. This shows how folktales

traveled from Africa with the slave

trade to the West Indies.


Ananse the spider was far and wide considered to be the wisest of allanimals, and many animals came to him with their problems and questions.

After a while, Ananse grew tired of answering so many questions anddecided he would have to do something to regain his peace and quiet. Sohe put all of his wisdom into a giant pot. He strapped the pot to his belly.He planned to carry the pot to a branch of a tall tree where all the animalscould go to get their own answers to their questions.

But as he was climbing the tree, the pot kept getting in the way of hislegs and slowed him down. Ntikume, one of Ananse’s many sons, saw thisand suggested that Ananse strap the pot to his back instead, where itwouldn’t be in his way.

When Ananse heard this he was furious. He couldn’t tolerate thethought that his son could have a better idea than his own. So Anansegrabbed the pot and flung it to the ground, where it shattered into athousand pieces.

Ever since then, wisdom has been scattered all over the world for manypeople to find.

LEARN MORE! READ THESE ARTICLES…AESOP’S FABLES: ANIMAL STORIES THAT TEACH

A FABLE OF THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST: RAVEN AND CROW’S POTLATCH


Answer: Ntikume is one of Ananse’s many sons. ★ 45

A S T O R Y F R O M G H A N A

Ananseand the Wisdom Pot


Once two young friends were walking along togetherwhen they saw a large piece of meat. Each boy thoughthe had seen the meat first, so each thought he deserved

to have it. The two argued over the meat. And thoughthey both thought it right to share, they thought that the

other should take the smaller portion. They agreed totake their dispute to the Monkey Court.

Now Monkey saw them coming, andhe realized that here was a real chance

for him. So he put on his wisest faceand listened patiently to their story.

When the two boys had finishedtalking, Monkey said, “I shall divide the meat

equally between you.” With that, Monkey tore themeat in two and was about to hand it over when henoticed that the two pieces were uneven.

46

The

Monkey Court


“I will fix this so that each of yougets the same amount of meat,” saidMonkey. And with that, he took a

bite from the larger piece of meat. But oncemore he noticed that the two pieces wereuneven. And no matter how carefullyMonkey bit the pieces of meat, one piecealways ended up being bigger. Finallythere were only two small pieces of meat.

At that point Monkey said, “It is timefor me to take my fee for being your judge.These two tiny pieces of meat will do just fine.”And with that, he sent the two hungry, and wiser,boys on their way.


A FABLE OF THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST: RAVEN AND CROW’S POTLATCH

Answer: Monkey had a reputation for being clever, as you seefrom the story. So the boys expected that he could solve theirproblems. But instead, he outsmarted them while also teaching alesson about being greedy.

★ 47

A N I G E R I A N F O L K T A L E

�

Why doyou think the

two boysexpected Monkeyto solve problems

for them?

SEARCH LIGHT

DID YOU KNOW?In many African tales, the monkeyand several other animals are clever,and the human beings are shown tobe usually foolish.


48

Jackal was known for his cleverness and often usedhis wits to trick other animals. He especially enjoyed

playing tricks on mighty Lion. But one day Lion almost put anend to all of Jackal’s pranks.

Jackal was walking along, feeling smug while thinkingabout how he had just tricked Hyena out of a meal. He was

not paying attention to where he was going and insteadwas laughing about how smart he was.

Only when it was too late did Jackal realize thathe had walked right into Lion’s territory. He was

about to turn and run when he saw Lion just a fewsteps away, staring at him and not looking at allfriendly. Jackal knew he was in serious trouble,for he could never hope to outrun Lion when he

was this close.But Jackal didn’t panic. Instead, he

started wailing out loud and diggingat the ground. “Oh, Lion. What will

Jackal GetsAway

DID YOU KNOW?

Like many African trickster

characters, Jackal is a

clever underdog figure,

smaller and weaker than his

rival. Jackal’s target—Lion

in this story—is usually

sincere, hardworking, and

slow-witted.


we do? Those rocks over there are falling, and they’ll surelycrush us both.”

Lion quickly looked at the rocks, and indeed they did seemto be tilting in a frightening way. He had never paid muchattention to them before, and so he didn’t realizethat this was how they always looked.

“Quick, Lion,” cried Jackal. “Useyour mighty strength to stop the rockswhile I go find a log to prop them up.”

Lion threw his huge shoulder againstthe rocks and pushed with all his might.

We’ll never know how long he stayedthere before he realized that Jackal had trickedhim once again. Perhaps he’s still there.


A NATIVE AMERICAN LEGEND: COYOTE

BRINGS FIRE

A STORY FROM GHANA: ANANSE AND THE

WISDOM POT

Answer: Not only might lions eat jackals, but lions don’t like otherpredators to be in their territory.

★

�

Why do youthink Jackal

would be afraidof Lion?

SEARCH LIGHT

A Z U L U S T O R Y


50

Rabbit was the wisest of all the animals, and so he was their mayor. Butalthough he was a good leader, he wasn’t well liked because he used hiswits to play tricks on the other animals.

One morning all the animals decided they would get rid of theirmayor and his tricks. They gathered outside of Rabbit’s burrow,

planning to grab him and tear him to pieces as soon as he came out.But Rabbit heard them grumbling. He called back, “I’ll be out

as soon as I find my sandals.”It was still dark, as the Sun had yet to rise. The animals

all began to shout, “Rabbit, hurry up. We need your help.”Rabbit called back, “I’ve found one

sandal, but it’s broken, and it’ll taketime to fix it.”

Rabbit Throws AwayHis Sandal

DID YOU KNOW?

Rabbits appear in the folktales of

several different cultures. For

instance, the Brer (“Brother”) Rabbit

of African American tales grew out of

an African rabbit character. Both of

them are clever, like Rabbit in this

Mayan story.


Answer: a) dog ★ 51

Jaguar, who was quite impatient, said, “Throw it out here, andI’ll fix it while you look for the other sandal.”

Jaguar grabbed the object that flew out of the burrow andtossed it into the bushes.

After a while, Skunk said, “What’s keeping you, Rabbit?”But no one answered.

Then Vulture said, “Snake, slither into that hole and see what’skeeping Rabbit.”

Snake did just that, but he could see very quickly that he wasalone in the burrow. “There’s no one here. Rabbit’s disappeared.”

Then from the bushes everyone heard Rabbit laugh. Theyrealized he had tricked them once again. They had been soeager while waiting for Rabbit that no one noticed he hadthrown himself out instead of his sandal.



�

Whichanimal is notin the story?

a) dogb) skunkc) snake

SEARCH LIGHT

A M A Y A N S T O R Y


52

�

True orfalse?

Paul Bunyanwas a real man.

SEARCH LIGHT

DID YOU KNOW?

The legend of Paul Bunyan may have

come from stories that real

lumberjacks told around the fire on

cold evenings.


Answer: FALSE. As far as anyone knows, there never was anactual lumberjack named Paul Bunyan.

★

If somebody told you that a giant woodsman had created a 100-mile-longinlet to float logs to a mill, would you believe it? Probably not, but itmakes a good story.

Stories like that are called “tall tales,” and an imaginary giantlumberjack named Paul Bunyan figures in many American tall tales. Alumberjack is a man who earns his living by cutting down trees. Paul wasso big and powerful that he could make hills, lakes, and rivers whenever hewanted to. In fact, he’s supposed to have created the Grand Canyon and theGreat Lakes.

Paul Bunyan was so big that when he sneezed, a whole hillside of pinetrees would fall over. Being such a large man, Paul would get very hungry.He was especially fond of pancakes. The frying pan for making them wasso big that people would skate around it with slabs of bacon tied to theirfeet to grease it.

Paul had a famous helper that he found during the “blue winter.”People called it the “blue winter” because the snow that fell was all blue!One night Paul heard an animal crying. When he looked outside, he saw apair of silky blue ears sticking out of the snow. Paul pulled and pulled. Outof the blue snow came a baby blue ox!

Paul took the ox home with him and named it Babe. When Babe grewup, he was nearly as big as a small mountain.

One story tells of a road with so many curves in it that people didn’tknow whether they were coming or going. Paul laughed and picked up oneend of the road and tied it to Babe. Babe tugged and pulled all the curvesout of the road.


A CAMBODIAN MYTH: MONI MEKHALA AND REAM EYSO

The Tale of aLumberjack

P A U L B U N Y A N


There was a time when the world of the north was always indarkness. The people wished for light, and Crow told them he had seendaylight on one of his many travels.

“Please bring us some daylight,” the people begged Crow.Crow flew for many miles. Just as he thought he couldn’t fly any

longer, he saw daylight ahead of him.When he reached daylight, he landed in a tree to rest. While Crow was

resting, the chief’s daughter came along. Crow turned himself into aspeck of dust and landed on the girl’s parka. Then Crow heard a

baby crying.“What’s wrong?” the girl asked her young brother.Crow drifted into the baby’s ear and whispered, “Tell her

you want a ball of daylight to play with.”The chief’s daughter tied a string to a ball of daylight andgave it to her brother to play with. As soon as the girl

carried her brother and the ball of daylight outside,Crow turned back into a bird, grabbed the ball by itsstring, and flew away.

When he made it back to the home of the people,they were overjoyed. “We have daylight!” they cheered.

“We can see the whole world.”But Crow warned them, “It is just a small ball of

daylight. It will need to rest every once in a while, so youwon’t have daylight the whole year through.”

And that is why the people of the frozen north have half ayear of daylight and half a year of darkness.

LEARN MORE! READ THESE ARTICLES…A CAMBODIAN MYTH: MONI MEKHALA AND REAM EYSO

A FABLE OF THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST: RAVEN AND CROW’S

POTLATCH

How Crow BroughtDaylight to the World

54


Answer: This story explains why there is daylight only halftheyearin the far north.

★

A N I N U I T T A L E

�

Fill inthe blanks:This story

explains why thereis daylight only

____ ____ ____in the far north.

SEARCH LIGHT

DID YOU KNOW?

Crow is a popular figure because of

his wisdom and appears in many

Native American myths.


56

Many long yearsago, fire belonged only to the Fire People. This wasa problem for the Animal People during the winter,when the winds blew cold. So one year the animals gottogether to talk about their problem.

“If we don’t have fire this winter, then many of ouraged grandparents will die,” said Squirrel. “Let’s ask Coyote what weshould do. He’s clever and always has a plan.”

Coyote listened to the other animals and then told them he had an idea.He told the other animals to be ready to make a great noise when he swishedhis tail. Coyote led them up into the hills where the Fire People lived. Alone,Coyote dragged himself into the firelight of the Fire People’s camp.

“Who’s there?” growled one of the Fire People. And then, “No fear—it’s just sorry Coyote.”

As soon as everything was quiet, Coyote swished his tail. At once agreat wailing arose all around the camp.

The Fire People jumped up thinking they were being attacked. Coyotethen grabbed a piece of fire with his mouth and bounded off down the hill.One of the Fire People reached out and grabbed Coyote’s tail, scorching itwhite.

Coyote flipped the fire to Squirrel, who was waiting. The Fire Peoplealmost caught Squirrel. The heat from their bodies was so strong that itcurled Squirrel’s tail. But Squirrel quickly passed the fire to Wood, whoswallowed it. Try as they might, the Fire People couldn’t make Wood spitout the fire.

Later, Coyote showed the other animals how, whenever they wantedfire, all they had to do was rub two sticks together, and Wood wouldrelease the fire for them.

LEARN MORE! READ THESE ARTICLES…A FABLE OF THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST: RAVEN AND CROW’S POTLATCH


Coyote Brings Fire


Answer: b) they wanted to stay warm. ★ 57

�

The animalswanted fire

becausea) they wanted to

cook.b) they wanted to stay

warm.c) they were jealous.

SEARCH LIGHT

DID YOU KNOW?Coyote, like several other animals infolktales of different cultures, is a“trickster” character. Tricksters areoften heroes, are usually smart, aresometimes magical, and often gettripped up by their own pride.

A N A T I V E A M E R I C A N L E G E N D


58

Possum once had a bushy tailcovered with thick, lush fur. Inconversation he always managed to mentionhis tail. “When I was brushing my beautiful tailyesterday, you’ll never guess what I saw...”

The other animals were tired of hearing aboutPossum’s tail. But Rabbit said, “Don’t worry. I have a plan.”

The next day Rabbit announced that there was going to be agrand dance. “We’ll want to do something special with your tail,” hesaid to Possum.

“First,” said Rabbit, “we need to wash and comb your tail.”So they wet Possum’s tail in the river, and then Rabbit pulled a

pine cone through Possum’s tail fur.“Ouch!” cried Possum. “You’re hurting me.”“I can stop if you want me to,” replied Rabbit.“No, no,” said Possum. “Keep working on my tail.”So Rabbit kept pulling the pine cone sharply over Possum’s tail.“Now we’ll just wrap your tail in this red ribbon,” Rabbit told him.

Why Possum’s

Tail Is Bare�

This storyalso explainswhy possumsa) play dead.

b) climb trees.c) carry their babies.

SEARCH LIGHT


Answer: a) play dead. ★ 59

Possum was so excited. As soon as he reached the dance, Possumunwrapped the ribbon. And as he did so, all the other animals started to laugh.

“What’s so funny?” shouted Possum. Then he looked at his tail. It wasas bare and smooth as Snake’s back. Rabbit had pulled out all of Possum’stail fur!

“Oh, oh!” wailed Possum, and he fainted onto his back.And that’s why today when you see Possum, his tail is bare, and if you

scare him, he rolls over on his back.

LEARN MORE! READ THESE ARTICLES…AN AUSTRALIAN TALE: HOW KANGAROO GOT HIS TAIL

A NATIVE AMERICAN LEGEND: COYOTE BRINGS FIRE

DID YOU KNOW?

“Possum” is a shortened form of

“opossum,” the full name of this

American animal. It’s a member of

the marsupial family, as are the

kangaroos and koalas of Australia.

A C H E R O K E E S T O R Y


60

Raven was a crafty fellow, always playing tricks. All during the fall heteased the other animals as they gathered food. When winter came, Ravenrealized what a fool he’d been. He was cold and hungry.

So Raven went to see Squirrel. “Friend,” he called. “Won’t you sharesome of your food?”

“No!” said Squirrel. “You made fun of me, and now you can starve.”Disappointed, Raven went to see Bear. “Friend Bear,” called Raven.

“Won’t you share some food with your poor friend Raven?”But Bear was asleep, and he’d eaten all his food before settling in for

his winter sleep.Raven was hungrier than ever. He thought hard and decided to visit his

cousin Crow. “Why Crow, aren’t you ready?” he asked.“Ready for what?” Crow asked.“Your potlatch feast. All the animals will be here soon. They can’t

wait to hear you sing.”Now Crow was vain about his voice, so he was very excited.Raven went out and invited all the animals to the potlatch. “Come to

my potlatch. There’ll be mountains of food.”Soon all the animals had gathered, and they began to stuff themselves

with Crow’s food. Crow sang until all he could do was croak. By the timehe had finished, Crow was hungry. He wasn’t worried, though, becauseevery guest at a potlatch has to invite the host to a thank-you feast.

But while he waited all winter long,Crow was never invited to any feasts. All theanimals thought that the potlatch had beenRaven’s, so Raven was treated to feasts. AndCrow has never stopped being hungry.You

can still see him today wherever people are,begging for food in his harsh, croaking voice.

LEARN MORE! READ THESE ARTICLES…AN INUIT TALE: HOW CROW BROUGHT DAYLIGHT TO THE WORLD

A STORY FROM ANCIENT GREECE: THE TROJAN HORSE

Raven and Crow’sPotlatch


Answer: Before tricking Crow, Raven asked Squirreland Bearfor help.

★ 61

�

Fill inthe blanks:

Before trickingCrow, Raven

asked _______ and_______ for help.

SEARCH LIGHT

DID YOU KNOW?

This story may have developed or at

least changed after Pacific American

Indians came into contact with white

traders. In earlier Indian traditions,

guests at potlatch feasts were not

expected to invite the giver to a feast

in return.

A F A B L E O F T H E P A C I F I C N O R T H W E S T


62

G L O S S A R Y

alas unfortunately or sadly

bitter taste that is sharp and harsh, likea fruit that is not ripe

chariot ancient two-wheeled cart pulledby horses

dismay sadness or disappointment

dispute argue with

flask container for liquid

fleece wool of an animal such as asheep or a goat

hare rabbit-like animal

humble poor or meek

lash tie or attach

magistrate official who looks after thelaws of a particular area

parka hooded heavy jacket for verycold weather

patron saint holy person who is chosento specially protect a group or place

potlatch traditional northwest AmericanIndian feast where the host gives outmany gifts to show wealth andgenerosity

regal royal or noble

scorch to burn a surface, usuallychanging its color

scour scrub hard

smug conceited; full of oneself; self-satisfied

staff wooden walking stick

territory area, especially an areaclaimed by an animal

tolerate put up with

twilight the light between the end ofday and the beginning of night; also, thename for that time of day


63

I N D E X

Aesop’s fables page 14

African stories: look under “Ananse and the Wisdom Pot”; “Jackal Gets Away”; “Monkey Court, The”

American Indians, also called First Nations, or Native Americans

Did you know? page 41LEARN MORE look under stories:“Coyote Brings Fire”; “How Crow Brought Daylight to the World”; “Rabbit Throws Away His Sandal”; “Raven and Crow’s Potlatch”; “Why Possum’s Tail Is Bare”

“Ananse and the Wisdom Pot”(folktale from Ghana) page 45

Arthur (legendary king)Knights of the Round Table page 21

Asian storiesdragons page 11LEARN MORE look under Moni Mekhala and Ream Eyso; “Monkey and the String of Pearls, The”; “Poor Man and the Flask of Oil, The”; “Stonecutter, The”; “Tiger in the Trap, The”; “Who Will Marry Mousie?”; “Yeh-Shen”

Atlas (Greek myth) page 9

Australian stories: look under “How Kangaroo Got His Tail”

Babe (legendary animal)Paul Bunyan page 53

“Bear and the Old Man, The”(Russian folktale) page 28

Bidpai (South Asian stories)Kalilah wa Dimnah page 38

birds (animals)Did you know? page 37LEARN MORE look under “How Crow Brought Daylight to the World”; “Raven and Crow’s Potlatch”

Brer Rabbit (American folktale animal)

Did you know? page 50

Bunyan, Paul (legendary person) page 53

Cambodian stories: look under Moni Mekhala and Ream Eyso

Central American stories: look under“Rabbit Throws Away His Sandal”

Cherokee stories: look under “Why Possum’s Tail Is Bare”

Chinese storiesdragons page 11LEARN MORE look under “Yeh-Shen”

Cinderella (folktale person)Did you know? page 30

“Country Mouse and the Town Mouse, The” (European folktale) page 16

“Coyote Brings Fire” (Native American legend) page 56

crows (birds): look under stories: “How Crow Brought Daylight to the World”; “Raven and Crow’s Potlatch”

Cyclopes (legendary giants)legend of Odysseus page 23

dragons, also called long page 11

English legendsdragons page 11LEARN MORE look under Knights of the Round Table

Eskimo (people): look under Inuit

European stories: look under Aesop’s fables; Atlas; “Bear and the Old Man, The”; “Country Mouse and the Town Mouse, The”; dragons; “Golem of Prague, The”; Knights of the Round Table; “Odysseus and the Cyclops”; Thor; Trojan Horse, The

Excalibur (legendary sword)Knights of the Round Table page 21

fables page 7LEARN MORE look under Aesop’s fables; “Raven and Crow’s Potlatch”; and other kinds of stories: folktales; legends; myths

fairy talesmyths page 7

fire: look under stories: “Coyote Brings Fire”

stories: “Coyote Brings Fire”

folktales page 7LEARN MORE look under “Ananse and the Wisdom Pot”; “Bear and the Old Man, The”; “Country Mouse and the Town Mouse, The”; “How Kangaroo Got His Tail”; “Jackal Gets Away”;

“Monkey and the String of Pearls, The”; “Monkey Court, The”; “Poor Man and the Flask of Oil, The”; “Rabbit Throws Away His Sandal”; “Stonecutter, The”; “Tiger in the Trap, The”; “Who Will Marry Mousie?”; “Why Possum’s Tail Is Bare”; “Yeh-Shen”; and other kinds of stories:fables; legends; myths

foxes: look under: Aesop’s fables

George, Saint (patron saint of England)dragons page 11

gods and goddesses: look under: Atlas; Moni Mekhala and Ream Eyso; Thor

“Golem of Prague, The” (Jewish legend) page 18

Gorgon (Greek myth)Did you know? page 9

Greek storiesmyths page 7LEARN MORE look under Aesop’s fables; Atlas; “Odysseus and the Cyclops”; Trojan Horse, The

Hercules (Greek myth)Atlas page 9

“How Crow Brought Daylight to the World” (Inuit myth) page 54

“How Kangaroo Got His Tail”(Australian folktale) page 43

Indians (Native Americans): look underAmerican Indians

Inuit, also called Eskimo (people): look under stories: “How Crow Brought Daylight to the World”

Islamic culture: look under stories:“Poor Man and the Flask of Oil, The”

“Jackal Gets Away” (Zulu folktale) page 48

Japanese stories: look under“Stonecutter, The”

Jataka tales (Buddhist stories)south Asian tales page 36

Jewish legends: look under “Golem of Prague, The”

“Kalilah wa Dimnah” (Arabian stories)


64

“The Poor Man and the Flask of Oil” page 38

kangaroos (animals): look under stories:“How Kangaroo Got His Tail”

Knights of the Round Table (British legend) page 21

Komodo dragons (lizards)Did you know? page 10

Korean stories: look under “Tiger in the Trap, The”

legends page 7LEARN MORE look under Bunyan, Paul; “Coyote Brings Fire”; dragons; “Golem of Prague, The”; Knights of the Round Table; “Odysseus and the Cyclops”; Trojan Horse, The; and other kinds of stories: fables; folktales; myths

lions: look under stories: “Jackal Gets Away”

long (Chinese mythology): look underdragons

lumberjacksPaul Bunyan page 53

magpies (birds)Did you know? page 37

Mayan civilization: look under stories:“Rabbit Throws Away His Sandal”

Merlin (legendary magician)Knights of the Round Table page 21

mice: look under stories: “Country Mouse and the Town Mouse, The”; “Who Will Marry Mousie?”

Moni Mekhala and Ream Eyso(Cambodian myth) page 40

“Monkey and the String of Pearls, The” (South Asian folktale) page 36

“Monkey Court, The” (Nigerian folktale) page 46

monsters: look under dragons; “Golem of Prague, The”; “Odysseus and the Cyclops”

myths page 7LEARN MORE look under Atlas; “How Crow Brought Daylight to the World”; Moni Mekhala and Ream Eyso; Thor; and other kinds of stories: fables; folktales; legends

Native Americans: look underAmerican Indians

Norse mythology: look understories: Thor

North American stories: look underBunyan, Paul; “Coyote Brings Fire”; “How Crow Brought Daylight to the World”; “Raven and Crow’s Potlatch”; “Why Possum’s Tail Is Bare”

“Odysseus and the Cyclops” (Greek legend) page 23

opossums, also called possums (animals): look under stories: “Why Possum’s Tail Is Bare”

Polyphemus (Greek legend)Greek legend page 23

“Poor Man and the Flask of Oil, The”(South Asian folktale) page 38

possums (animals): look underopossums

potlatch feasts (American Indian custom)

fable of the Pacific Northwest page 60

Prague, also called Praha (city in the Czech Republic): look under stories:“Golem of Prague, The”

“Rabbit Throws Away His Sandal”(Mayan folktale) page 50

rabbits and hares: look under stories:“Rabbit Throws Away His Sandal”; “Tiger in the Trap, The”; “Why Possum’s Tail Is Bare”

rain (weather): look under stories: Moni Mekhala and Ream Eyso

“Raven and Crow’s Potlatch” (Native American fable) page 60

Ream Eyso (Cambodian myth): look under Moni Mekhala and Ream Eyso

Round Table (British legend): look under Knights of the Round Table

Russian stories: look under “Bear and the Old Man, The”

South African stories: look under“Jackal Gets Away”

South Asian stories: look under“Monkey and the String of Pearls, The”; “Poor Man and the Flask of Oil, The”

Southeast Asian stories: look underMoni Mekhala and Ream Eyso

spiders: look under stories: “Ananse and the Wisdom Pot”

squirrels: look under stories: “Coyote Brings Fire”

“Stonecutter, The” (Japanese folktale) page 32

tall tales (folktales)Paul Bunyan page 53

Thor (Norse god) page 27

thunder and lightning: look under stories: Atlas; Moni Mekhala and Ream Eyso; Thor

Thunderbird (American Indian myth)Did you know? page 41

Thursday (day of the week)Thor page 27

“Tiger in the Trap, The” (Korean folktale) page 35

trickster tales (folktales)Did you know? page 57LEARN MORE look under “Bear and the Old Man, The”; “Coyote Brings Fire”; “Jackal Gets Away”; “Raven and Crow’s Potlatch”

Trojan Horse, The (Greek legend) page 25

Troy (ancient city in Anatolia)Greek legends page 25

turnips (plants)Did you know? page 29

West African stories: look under“Ananse and the Wisdom Pot”; “Monkey Court, The”

“Who Will Marry Mousie?” (Asian folktale) page 12

“Why Possum’s Tail Is Bare”(Cherokee folktale) page 58

wisdom: look under stories: Aesop’s fables; “Ananse and the Wisdom Pot”; “Monkey Court, The”; “Rabbit Throws Away His Sandal”; “Stonecutter, The”

wombats (animals): look under stories:“How Kangaroo Got His Tail”

“Yeh-Shen” (Chinese folktale) page 30

Zeus (Greek god)Atlas page 9

Zulu stories: look under “Jackal Gets Away”


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Bll 07 legends, myths and folktales

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